


What Once Was Lost

by fergus80



Category: Once Upon a Time (TV)
Genre: F/M, Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-05-19
Updated: 2017-05-19
Packaged: 2018-11-02 15:32:01
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,512
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10947423
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/fergus80/pseuds/fergus80
Summary: Short one shot. Henry and Lucy look for Killian, the one person that will always find Emma Swan.  (Headcanon for season 7)





	What Once Was Lost

Killian Jones sat on the park bench near the bay of his small town, Fairy Trails, for lunch, just like he did every day since he could remember. He had picked up his lunch from the small diner in town, Ruby’s, and then made the short walk here. He looked out over the water, and let out a breath. He wasn’t entirely sure why the water always seemed to calm him, but it did.

 

He opened the styrofoam takeout container, and smiled wistfully at the contents, a grilled cheese and onion rings. It wasn’t his favorite meal; he actually preferred the lasagna. But it had been her favorite meal. He closed his eyes and took a deep breath. There was no reason to get misty eyed right now. It had been...well, a long time since he had lost her, his wife, in the horrible accident. He couldn’t even remember most of it. One moment they were together, and the next it was almost like an explosion and he woke up being told that she and his left hand were gone. 

 

He looked back out at the water and let out another deep breath. “I miss you,” he said into the wind, hoping she could hear him, but knowing it was probably useless. He looked back down, to his hands. Well, hand and modern prosthetic. They had found his wedding ring after the explosion and he still wore it, but now on his right hand. Others kept telling him he should take it off, move one. But, he just...couldn’t. It didn’t feel right. 

 

Killian shook off the thought than picked up and started munching on an onion ring. He looked up from his food at some _glock, glock_ -like sounds, and another soft whistle with a smile. Like clockwork, his water fowl friends had found him at lunch time. First, the female swan came up to the edge of the water, and looked at him expectantly. A few more sounds, and he laughed. “Okay, okay,” he told her, and he carefully tore off the crusts from his sandwich and broke them up, and tossed them in the water. 

 

She didn’t go after them right away, and he knew why. The lone baby cygnet glided down off her back and went after the bread. After eating a few pieces, the little thing looked up at him, and issued another soft whistle like sound. “You’re welcome,” he replied, and started to eat his grilled cheese.

 

The female looked at him, tilted her head, and then gave a small hiss like sound. He laughed, “Oh, you want this?” he said motioning at his sandwich and onion rings. “Sorry, love, but swans can’t digest dairy, and onions make them sick. Did my research.” With another soft hiss, she looked back at her little cygnet, and seeing that the tiny thing was full, she ate the rest of the bread. 

 

He continued to eat his lunch, and talk to the swans as they swam and around in the water in front of them. Then he packed up his lunch, making sure not to litter, and stood. “We understand each other, don’t we?” he asked the mother swan. “We both lost our mates.” He smiled at the little one swimming and diving off the back of its mother. “At least you have a little one to keep you company.” He shook off the melancholy and smiled. “See you again tomorrow. I’ll try to remember to bring something you both can eat.” With a heavy heart, he turned around and headed home.

 

Home was a second-story apartment that had one window in the bedroom that looked out in the direction of the bay. You could just see the waves if he used his telescope. Below the apartment was where he worked, a dive bar called Jolly Roger. After the accident, he was left with no home, no wife, no...anything. But the bar seemed to be the only place he even slightly felt like home. It was silly really, a bar with a pirate theme. But it somehow seemed to help. 

 

Killian changed out of his red flannel shirt and white henley, put on a black long sleeve shirt, and left the top three buttons undone. He might not be interested in looking for a date, but he knew what brought in the tips. He made sure the necklace he wore with his wife’s rings stayed hidden under the shirt. With a quick glance in the mirror, he headed downstairs to work. 

 

************  
“Is that him?” the little girl asked once again. 

 

Henry smiled down at his daughter. His new memories had a hard time with the thought, while his old memories made him overjoyed at seeing her again. He looked to where she was pointing. It was a dark-haired man, but when they saw his side profile, they both sighed. “Nope,” he replied. They had been initially looking for his wife, for Lucy’s mother, along with the possibility of finding his own mothers, Emma or Regina. But the search was proving difficult, so he expanded the search for his grandfather, Rumplestiltskin, and also his step father, Hook. He had hoped to find one member of his family with magic, that maybe they could figure out what was going on. But he also had a feeling that he needed to find his step-father. Hook always found his mother. Always. Even when he didn’t know them in Isaac's alternate universe, he helped them—died for them, even. 

 

They had found this small little cursed town on the coast of the Pacific only a day ago, not too far from Seattle and the Canadian border. He had recognized a couple of the people in the town when they got there, but they hadn’t recognized him. It was as if none of them had aged, just like before. They found a completely empty inn, and an equally shocked employee when they asked for a room for the week. Henry wasn’t surprised—it was just like before. 

 

This morning, they were on the lookout walking up and down the streets in the time frozen town. When they turned a corner, a smile came over his face. “I think I know where we can take a rest.”

 

Lucy looked up at her father and then in the direction he was facing. She smiled at the same sign. “He HAS to be there, Dad.” They then started walking quickly to the Jolly Roger Pub. 

 

Henry pushed the door open, and walked into the dark bar with Lucy behind him. He looked to the man behind the counter, and couldn’t help but smile at seeing Smee. It was, however, unusual to see him without his red hat. “Is it okay if I have my daughter in here for a little while? Just while we get some food and such?”

 

“Not a problem for a few more hours, and as long as you are with her,” the man replied. They both took a seat at the bar as Lucy looked around almost willing her step-grandfather to appear. Truthfully, Killian was Lucy’s grandfather for all intents and purposes, and they loved each other as such. “I’m Bill, and here are some menus for you.” 

 

Henry nodded his thanks and quickly looked over the bar food. He ordered them two burgers with a large side of fries to share, and two sodas. When the man left, he looked around. The pirate theme had him smiling. “Lucy, if you see him, you know he won’t remember, just like I didn’t at first.”

 

She turned back to her father. “I know. But he will,” She answered confidently. 

 

Both their heads turned to the commanding call that came down the stairs. “Did you wash down the tables and bar like I asked, Mr. Thompson?” Henry knew the voice anywhere, and the commanding tone in it. He had to hold back the smile that whatever curse this was gave Smee one of the actor’s names who had played the role in an old movie. 

 

“Yes, Sir. Also, swept the floor and refilled all the glasses,” The man quickly answered. 

 

He felt his daughter tug on his shirt and he swore he heard a quiet squeal of delight. He pulled her hand into his and turned towards her. “Relax.” He took a deep breath to calm his nerves for himself as well and turned back to his step-father. 

 

************  
Killian took the plates from the kitchen out to the bar, and almost tripped at seeing the patrons. While it was unusual to see a child in the bar, it wasn’t unheard of. But it was the feeling of deja-vu that had him pause. He ignored the pull on his heartstrings and came over and sat their plates in front of them. “Can I get you anything else?” 

 

“Ketchup, please.” The little girl replied. He smiled at her, fetched the bottle and gave it to her. “Thank you.” She answered and proceeded to pour some on her plate. 

 

He turned to her father. “Good lass.”

 

“The best,” the man replied. “I’m Henry.” he motioned to his daughter, “This is Lucy. We are new in town.” 

 

“Welcome,” Killian replied. “So what brings you to our tiny town?”

 

“We are actually looking for our family,” Henry replied, not taking his eyes off him for a second. 

 

“Oh, well I hope they are alright. Family...loved ones...are very important. If there is anything I can do to help…”

 

“Actually, there is,” Henry replied. “Are you by chance married?”

 

That question hit him hard. “I’m sorry, I’m not sure how that has anything…” He saw the man look down at his left hand, not even flinch at the fake appendage and then to his right when a smile appeared. “Listen, I don’t know why you are asking that. But I can assure you I personally don’t know your family. And my wife…” He stopped, and ran his fingers through his hair, the jagged parts of his heart seemed to rub together painfully. “If she was your family, I hate to tell you, but...she died.”

 

Both of the visitors eyes went wide at the news. “What?” The little girl replied with the look of tears in her eyes. 

 

Henry seemed to take longer to process it, but then looked hopeful for some unknown reason. “I’m sorry to ask, but when? Do you know a date? Or how it happened?”

 

That was a very odd question, but his brain tried to answer it anyway, but just kept coming up blank. Why couldn’t he come up with a date? It was a very important event. Why couldn’t he recalled a date, or even a year it happened? He got frustrated, and answered. “It doesn’t matter. It was a long time ago. It was an explosion of some type at our house. It leveled everything…” Why was he telling complete strangers this? He couldn’t say, but they didn’t feel like strangers. Something told him, they weren’t. “Took her and my hand…” he just left it there and looked down.

 

He didn’t see the look that the two in front of him gave each other. “Killian.” 

 

His head shot up to look at the other man. “How did you know my name?” 

 

“This is going to sound crazy.” Henry started and Killian’s eyebrow raised. “We know you, we know your wife, you just don’t remember us.” Killian took a step back and shook his head. “That ‘explosion’ isn’t what you think it was, and most importantly, I’m pretty sure, your wife, Emma--” At the sound of her name his head sprung back up quickly, his heart racing. “-- is still alive. She’s out there somewhere, and we need to find her.”

 

His jaw clenched, and anger started to flare in him. He looked over to the younger girl, and then back to her father. He leaned on the bar and stared into the man’s eyes. “I don’t know what you are playing at. But you need stop. Whatever con it is you are playing, don’t involve your daughter in it.” 

 

“Grandpa, please.” Lucy begged, and Killian’s head whipped towards hers. 

 

“Lucy, no.” Henry warned.

 

“Grandpa?” He started laughing at that. “I’m only a few years older than your father, lass.” He stared at both of them. “Wait, you think my wife and me are your parents?”

 

“No, she was my mother, and you were my step-father. And, you are a lot older than you think you are.”

 

“Oh, really,” he smirked at them, as he looked to Bill at his right. Telling him he was okay, and to hold on his command before kicking the two out of the bar. “How much older am I?”

 

“Over two hundred years.” Lucy replied and opened up the storybook, and started flipping pages.

 

Killian ran his hand through his hair, “Listen. As soon as the two of you are finished with your food, you will need to leave.” 

 

He started to turn away when Lucy called back out, “As you wish.”

 

He stopped in his tracks, his brain remembering his wife walking away from him in a dense...jungle? He turned back to her. “What did you say?”

 

She smiled at him. “I remember the bedtime story you told me. About the pirate and the princess, and how they fell in love. How you and Emma fell in love.” She turned the page in the book, and there was drawn picture of a couple dancing. The blonde woman with green eyes, and a smile on her face looking at her dance partner. His heart skipped for a moment, and he was drawn to the picture. The woman looked so much like Emma. His eyes fluttered closed as his brain showed him images of them waltzing together in a ballroom. “You taught her how to dance at her first ball.”

 

His eyes sprung back open. None of this made sense, but his heart was begging him to listen. His hand reach out and caressed the image of the woman in the picture and his breath stuttered, his eyes became glassy. More images of him and Emma washed over him, but they didn’t make sense. There were castles, vortexes, beanstalks for Christ’s sake. He must be going crazy like they were. He took another step back. “This doesn’t make sense.”

 

The little girl turned to the last page of the book. The page showed a group of people all at a table together and smiling. In the middle he saw an image of what looked like him, and next to him, his smiling wife. Then next to her was a teenage boy. He looked from it, to the man named Henry in front of him, and then back again. It couldn’t be. 

 

Lucy reached out and touched his hand. “Please, try and remember. I know you want your family back as much as we do. Emma, and…” She looked to her dad, and he nodded. “And Elizabeth.”

 

That name had him gasp, and his brain was bombarded by more memories. Memories of someone he didn’t even remember. He saw Emma holding a pink blanket in a hospital, happy tears in her eyes as he looked down at her and their little miracle. Watch her as she took her first steps into his waiting arms. The first time she called him daddy. They kept going and going, until the last one. He and Emma held her tightly to them, unwilling to let their daughter go, praying that this time, at least they would all be cursed together as the curse enveloped them. 

 

He gasped for air as if he had been underwater for a long time, and was just now able to breath. He looked at the two in front of him, now entirely seeing them for the first time. As soon as recognition dawned on his face, Lucy launched herself over the bar into her grandfather’s arms. He hugged her back tight, and looked over her shoulder at Henry. “We have to find Emma.”

 

Henry smiled back, “And my wife.” The two men nodded at each other, and began to plan how they could bring their family back together. 

 

************  
It had almost been a year of searching, and they had been able to locate many of their family. The more they could find, the more they were able to search. The three came back to Fairy Trails, the new Storybrooke. Or at least one of the new Storybrooke’s. Others were scattered and still trying to wake others—the new curse seemed to be more advanced, and affected each person differently. While Killian was glad with each person they rescued, and happy for his step-son and granddaughter to have found their wife and mother, they had yet to find Emma and Elizabeth. 

 

“Don’t give up hope,” Lucy told him. 

 

He tried to smile back at the young girl. “You get that from your great-grandmother.”

 

She smiled back at him, and Henry nodded. “She’s right. She is out there. You know that. You’d feel it if she wasn’t.”

 

He did know it, but it was bloody frustrating. Henry had even tapped into police records, the only things showing where when Emma lived in New York with Henry prior. It was as if the two didn’t exist.

 

“I’m hungry,” Lucy stated.

 

Killian looked at Henry who was on his laptop still searching. “You keep working on it, I’ll take her to the diner, and we can grab something to eat.” With that agreed, Lucy took his hand and they walked to the diner. Each grabbed a grilled cheese and onion rings, and headed back to the water to eat. They had just sat down in his normal spot and opened the boxes, when familiar sounds were heard. He immediately felt bad. “I’m so sorry. I know I’ve been gone awhile.” He tore up the crusts again and threw them into the water for the swans. He looked around for the little cygnet, and then laughed to himself. That was over a year ago, that one would be grown by now. 

 

But as the bread hit the water, the little one dove off the mother’s back and went after the bread. The female swan looked at him again, and called to him again. “Lucy, the animals aren’t affected by the curse, right?”

 

“From what Grandma Regina says, no. Unless they were animals that came over in the curse, like Pongo. Why?” she asked as she took a bite of her grilled cheese. 

 

He swallowed as he watched the swan look at him, and then at the girl and back. He could swear that the swan recognized Lucy. Was it possible? “Swan?” He asked, and almost laughed at that. With how quickly her little head swung back to his face, he was shocked she didn’t break that long graceful neck. “Emma...is that you?” When the swan started to hiss and chatter at him, as the little one started making lots of sounds, he got up from the bench, sat his food down, and slowly approached them. He looked at the little baby cygnet, and when the female swan didn’t stop him, he took that as a sign. He got onto his knees next to the water, and held out his hand. The baby swan swam up to him, and came up onto land. 

 

Part of him thought he was going crazy. He bent over, and with hope in his heart, he kissed the top of the little cygnet’s head. A familiar whoosh raced out of him, and he quickly pulled back to find his daughter. “Daddy!” She squealed, and wrapped herself into his arms. Lucy ran over, and hugged them both. 

 

He held her tight, “Elizabeth.” Tears streamed down his face, as he turned back to the female swan. “Emma.” She came up right to the edge of the water, and lowered her head. He kissed the top of her head as well, and another burst of magic washed over them. 

 

Before he even had a chance to look, Emma was wrapping her arms around him, their daughter, and granddaughter. “I knew you’d figure it out.” She said, and then leaned back to look up at him. His lips claimed hers in a proper kiss, and finally everything felt right once again. 

 

When they broke apart, their eyes were unwilling to look away from one another, for fear they would disappear. The smiles on their faces huge. “I missed you all so much. And to think you were right in front of me this whole time. I’m so sorry I didn’t…”

 

Emma hushed him, “It’s not your fault.” She kissed him again, and smiled at her family. “Now, we need to find everyone else. But, first things first.”

 

“What is that Swan?” He asked. 

 

She rolled her eyes at that. “I’m dying for that grilled cheese and onion rings.”

 

All four of them laughed, and together, they headed to Ruby’s for some more food, and to reunite with the rest of their family.


End file.
